As fears about Ebola persist, a hotline to respond to public concerns about the virus has been set up by the California Department of Public Health, officials announced Wednesday.

“This hotline has been set up and staffed to answer questions from those concerned about the possibility of Ebola in California,” Dr. Ron Chapman, director for the state department of public health. “Our goal is to be available to eliminate the mystery of this disease and offer the facts to Californians as the situation evolves. This is one in a series of steps we have taken in the last few months.”

The number for the hotline is 855-421-5921 and it will operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, health officials said. Other states have set up similar hotlines.

There are currently no confirmed or suspected cases of Ebola in California, health officials said.

But rising national concern continues over safety. Nurses and frontline staff have pressured hospitals to provide better personal protective clothing. The issue took a serious turn when two nurses at a Dallas hospital contracted Ebola. The hospital had treated Thomas Eric Duncan, a Liberian who was the first patient in the U.S. to be diagnosed with Ebola, and who later died. Both nurses are surviving, but nearly half of Americans are very or extremely concerned that Ebola will spread widely in the U.S., according to a recent Associated Press poll of 1,608 adults.

The poll, conducted Oct. 16-20, also found that despite months of headlines about Ebola, nearly a quarter of Americans acknowledge they don’t really understand how the virus spreads. Some 36 percent say they understand it only moderately well.

In addition, 90 percent of those polled think it’s necessary to tighten screening procedures for people entering the U.S. from the outbreak zone in West Africa, including 69 percent who say it’s definitely needed. Almost half say it’s definitely necessary to prevent everyone traveling from places affected by Ebola from entering the United States.

The Los Angeles Airport Peace Officers Association agrees. In a letter sent to U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) last week, the association wants all flights from affected nations banned and to require that medical personnel traveling to and from the affected countries, as well as infected Americans traveling to the country for treatment, be transported by military aircraft.

The Obama administration says a ban is not on the table. Already, there are no direct flights to the U.S. from the outbreak zone, and the airport with the most travelers from West Africa — New York’s Kennedy airport — has averaged 34 travelers a day since entry screening began, according to the Associated Press.

There are five airports where screenings are taking place, including New York and Chicago, but not Los Angeles.

The more uniformed screenings at those five airports are a good first step, said Marshall McClain, president of LAAPOA.

“It’s progress,” McClain said. “The first step is to try to contain it and I don’t think all the protocols are in place yet. The bottom line is if and when we do get a person infected with Ebola we need to be prepared.”

Almost 5,000 people have now died from Ebola, which has mostly affected three countries in West Africa. The symptoms are similar to the flu but then become severe: fever over 101.5 degrees Fahrenheit, severe headache, muscle pain, weakness, diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal pain and unexplained bleeding or bruising. The virus is spread through direct contact with bodily fluids.